Obtaining a college education has become quite expensive and various funding strategies can be used to pay for the expense. Some families plan ahead by saving money prior to a student enrolling in an institution of higher learning using various savings plans including 529 plans. However, many families, including those that have planned ahead, may use various other sources to fund an education including gifts, scholarships, loans, and various other financial aid.
While existing methods and systems focus on providing an estimate of how much a family will borrow to fund an education, these methods and systems do not integrate school, family, and market information to allow a family to determine and evaluate appropriate alternative funding strategies.